APHRODITE (af-ro-drte), one of the chief divinities of the Greeks, the goddess of love and beauty, so called be cause she was sprung from the foam aphiros of the sea. She was the wife of Hephaestus, but she loved besides, among gods, Ares and Dionysus, and among mortals, Anchises and Adonis. The chief places of her worship in Greece were Cyprus and Cythera. In earlier times the patroness of marriage and maternity, she became later the ideal of graceful womanhood, and was spiritu alized by Plato as Aphrodite Urania. By others she was degraded in Aphrodite Pandemos to be the patroness of mere sensual love. The worship of Aphrodite was originally the symbol of the fructify ing powers of nature. Her cult was introduced by the Phoenicians into Cy prus, and soon spread over all Greece. She was originally identical with As tarte, the Ashtoreth of the Hebrews. By the Romans she was identified with Venus, hitherto one of the least tant Roman divinities (see VENus). The finest statues of the goddess that still exist are those of Melos (Milo) at Paris, of Capua at Naples, and of the Medici at Florence.
APIA (a'pe-a), the principal town and commercial emporium of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean; on the N. coast of the island of Upolu, about midway between the E. and W. extremities of the island. In March, 1899, a hurricane swept the harbor; wrecked the United States war vessels "Trenton" (flagship) and "Vandalia," and the German men-of-war, "Eber" "Adler," and "Olga"; and drove the United States steamer "Nipsic" ashore, greatly injured. The British ship "Cal liope" was the only man-of-war in the harbor that succeeded in escaping to sea. In 1889 the town was the scene of fatal riots growing out of the struggle of Mataafa and Malietoa Tanus for the kingship. In 1900 the town came into German control, but as a result of the World War is now occupied by New Zea land. Pop., 1,500. See SAMOAN ISLANDS.